Ep14 - A Psychiatrist Explains Mental Illness

As you probably know, we started this podcast focusing on anxiety and how it plays out with our faith. But as our range of guests – and our audience – has grown, we’re now stepping back to look at a broader range of mental conditions.

This episode, we’re hearing from an expert about some of the different types of mental illnesses, their risk factors, and how we can respond to those struggling. And who better to learn from than Dr Kuruvilla George, a psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience?

KG, as he’s known, was a practising psychiatrist both in the UK and here in Australia, where he’s worked in clinical practice, headed up programs for hospitals, taught as a clinical professor at universities, and even served as the Deputy Chief Psychiatrist for the state of Victoria for 10 years.

Now he’s retired, and spends his time using his medical knowledge – as well as his faith – to break the stigma of mental illness in the church through his work with the Centre for Theology and Psychology in Melbourne, Australia.

We're not going to address every question we might have about mental illness, but we hope this kind of overview will help give us all a better understanding of how mental illnesses differ from one another, what causes them, how we approach this topic as Christians, and how we can be caring for those with a mental illness.

If you’re interested in finding out more or seeking help for yourself or someone you know, the Centre for Theology and Psychology is developing a directory of Christian mental health professionals in Australia. To request access to this list and find someone from whom you can seek advice, click here.

KG has also put together a short book called “A Christian Perspective on Mental Illness and Suicide”, which is available from the Centre for Theology and Psychology.